Devour
by Willibaldvonsomething
Summary: An encounter with an 'assassin' draws Esdese attention away from the tournament, resulting in an unexpected emotion. Love. But with a war between the Jaeger's and Night Raid on the horizon, can she keep her new love safe. Or more importantly, does Zabuza even want to be protected, much less caged by some crazy, romance obsessed ice-woman. Young!ZabuzaxEsdese.
1. Take It

It was bullshit, that's what it was.

"Damn, damn, damn..." The boy muttered under his breath as he shifted from shadow to shadow, quiet as a demon in the night as he looked for suitable targets. The baker and his group had jacked up the price, taking what little cash he had left for a measly loaf of bread.

"Should have killed the fatass..." He muttered as he finally found a possible target. A soldier, judging by the uniform. And a high ranking one at that. Or given that she's a women, probably did the smart thing and slept her way up the ranks. A severely decreased chance of death, and better pay. Cause frankly, in the empire, dignity and morals were words used by the dead or those Holier-than-thou assholes in the Revolution. "And the only difference between the two is time."

If they want to die for their stupid cause. More power to them. He was going to survive. No matter what.

Still.. a soldier. The boy weighed the pros and cons, the risk against the reward. Soldiers always carried some cash around, and even if they didn't, there was always personal valuables, or at worst their own weapons. A good fence could get him a decent price for imperial steel.

And so he skulked, mind made up, keeping a safe distance as he waited for an opportunity. For the crowd to thicken as it usually did, so a careful caress could be seen as an accident, instead of street-side robbery.

The boy knew he probably had the lightest hands in the entire capital, but even then. He was tired, and pickpocketing was a delicate art, so the more safety nets he had in place. The better.

* * *

Esdese had to compliment her pursuer. They were good. She'd enjoy torturing them to find out who was brave, or stupid enough to target her. It'd be the perfect end to the day after her tournament.

So the blue-haired general led her shadow on a small detour. The tournament wasn't to start for another hour, and she wanted to see just how good the assassin was.

* * *

The boy growled in his head. So many missed opportunities to strike in the past ten minutes, all because this women seemed to not give a damn or have an actual definition. He was going to enjoy the taste of a fresh meal and an actual bed with this women's money tonight. Heck, if she had enough, he might even buy himself a present.

Probably a better knife, since his old ones were getting dull and worn from their constant use.

Yes. A new knife set would be perfect.

* * *

Esdese smirked as she once again lost track of her stalker, for the third time since she started. She hadn't heard a sound, felt an ounce of killing intent or even seen them, but years of combat and her own sharp instincts were still telling her to keep an eye out as she took a turn into a closed off alley. Perfect for an ambush. For her that is.

And she didn't have to wait long. Not even three steps into the dark pathway, her assassin struck.

"Miss. Don't make this harder than it has to be. Drop the coins and valuables, and no one gets hurt." A surprisingly high voice came from behind her, as she felt the tip of a knife press against her back.

"Oh you are good... but terrible form. The knife should be at my throat." Esdese taunted, easily burying her shock at actually being caught off guard. The northern campaign must have dulled her senses more than she thought.

Her assailant didn't say a word, simply pressed the knife against her back with a little more force. Enough to make the message clear.

Too bad for him, she wasn't the surrendering type.

Esdese smirked as she kicked back, feeling her heel connect with solid flesh to bring out the all too familiar sound of cracking bones. The boy. She could now see it was a boy, or at least a very short man.

She'd expected more than this pile of rags before her. She could only see the boy's eyes with any clarity. Dark brown, cold and as sharp as steel that stared back at her, not with the usual fear, but with contempt and the trace of something.

"Miss, you got a kick... now, last chance. Drop the goods and you'll walk away from this." The boy offered, only for Esdese to smirk in response.

"Counter offer. Surrender quietly, and I'll give you a quick death."

The boy didn't seem to move, but she could tell he was getting into what might count as a stance. "I hate it when people can't just take the easy way..." The boy mumbled to himself, drawing out a giggle from Esdese.

"Really now? I rather like it when they stru-" The boy didn't wait for her to finish as he shot forward, a mass of cloth that took up all of her vision. He ducked low, knife in his uninjured hand as he got close, hoping to end things in one blow.

Now if only the women would cooperate, he thought as he had to side step a punch, watching as it smashed into the stone floor, leaving a noticeable dent. Not noticeable as in, a light imprint of her fist. No. This was cannonball level of property destruction. Suddenly the risks far outweighed the reward.

So like any sensible man, he started to run. A little bit of coin wasn't worth his life. Not when there were other targets to be had.

Esdese's grin faltered as the boy began his retreat, but oh no. Her blood was up. She was a hunter on the prowl now, and by no means was she going to be satisfied unless she got her prey.

* * *

"Damn, damn, damn." The boy mumbled as he frantically jumped from rooftop to rooftop to avoid the crazy woman who was actively keeping pace with him. Not gaining on him, or falling behind, but staying a steady distance behind him.

It didn't take an idiot to know he was being hunted. Toyed with like a mouse against a cat. Or in his case a damn tiger.

And just like a mouse, he was eventually driven into a corner for the execution. His particular execution ground was the outskirts of one of the Capital's many parks. If he could make it into the trees, he might actually have a chance. But no. The crazy women decided to cheat in the form of cutting off any escape routes with. An. Emperor. Damned. Wall of ice.

"This is just getting unfair..." He stopped, and turned to face his would be killer. "Fine. If you want to throw down, we'll throw down."

"Then why don't you take off that little robe. I want to watch you bleed as you beg for mercy." Esdese was more than happy to take her time. Ran could watch over the tournament in her absence. This was far more enjoyable for now.

"Only if you give me a name. I like to at least know that when I have to kill a person."

"Esdese. General Esdese."

A certain four letter word ran through the boy's head. Of all the bad luck, he'd picked the empire's strongest. He cracked his neck as the two squared off. Fine, he thought. If this is the world's way of finally taking me out, I'll be sure to bring her with me on the ride to hell.

"Well General. I wonder if you'll still have your title in the next life." The boy took of the tattered robes to reveal his pale, ashen skin and spiky black hair. For a street rat, he had a decent amount of muscle on his torso and the pin-striped pants he wore had enough pockets to hide all sort of tricks. But what intrigued her the most was his teeth.

Sharp, jagged like a predator.

* * *

She was having the time of her life. Sure she wasn't fighting to her fullest, but she'd found a toy that absolutely refused to break. She'd almost lost track of time for how long they'd been fighting, as she drew out the bloodshed.

Every slash from her rapier that added another line of blood to his already shredded form was met with grim silence, and even when she broke a bone, or by her count the fifth one, the boy simply fought harder. Like a demon possessed.

But like all good things, it was about to come to an end. For all the fire in his eyes, for all the steel and potential she could see in him, she also saw the shadow of death drawing ever closer.

A pity really. A few years under her tutelage and he'd be a general at least. Probably would be a rather handsome man too. But Esdese wasn't one to let superficial thoughts distract her, even when she was playing with her toys. Especially when they had an sharp edge to them.

"I never got your name young one. I'll be sure to remember it." The general teased with a grin as she danced left and right to avoid the flurry of kicks that was the boy's last line of offense, both arm's broken and having lost enough blood to kill most people. The only thing that kept him standing was raw willpower and hatred.

"And I'll enjoy not telling you." The boy grinned, flashing her those shark teeth, and for half a second, Esdese thought she felt her heart stop before passing it off as slight bit of indigestion.

Sure, she was looking for love, but this was a kid, and while he fit almost every check box, he was missing an important one.

"Then how bout we end this for now. I'll take you back and give you some special service in the Imperial Torture chambers." Though she was going to take a bit of pride with breaking this one. He was far too fun to simply kill.

"Fine." The boy bent at the knee, picking up one of his discarded knives into his mouth. If he was going to die, he was going to do it with weapon, metaphorically, in hand. "But I don't do hags." He mumbled, mostly to himself. His vision was starting to fade. His arms were getting heavy, and it felt like anvils were weighing down his feet. But he was better than that. He wasn't some piece of trash. To lose his life because he got a bit greedy.

"Fuck that." The boy glared at the older woman as he focused, letting the killing intent wash over him in waves. His body was a tool to his will. He'd survived in the wild for years before entering the shit hole that was the Capital. He was the master of his damn fate, and the emperor himself could watch as he killed this damn women. The boy charged, his eyes never leaving his target.

Esdese smiled for the first time since this battle started. An actual, warm-blooded smile. To feel such malice, such powerful killing intent from someone so young. He could certainly outdo most soldiers she knew. This was what she lived for. The thrill of the fight. Maybe she wouldn't torture this one. For long. A bit of torture then add him to the Jaegers. He certainly had the talent.

But for now, she was going to meet his charge head on, before crushing him!

* * *

It was over in the flash of a blade. A long diagonal cut from hip to shoulder as the boy jumped to impale her through the throat with his knife. An innovative move to be sure, but in the end it didn't work.

Esdese swished her blade, sending the majority of the boys blood into the grass. Now she had to find an imperial guard to take the boy, living or dead to a healer, to be dealt with accordingly. Then she might go see the tournament, if it was still going on.

Hopefully Ran found someone to use the Tengu, or today would have been all pleasure. Not that she was going to complain. It was the best day she'd had since arriving in the Capital, but she still had her work to do.

Now, we wait to see if the boy is strong enough to live to see another day.

And she didn't know why, but Esdese submitted to a random urge. To take one last look at the nameless urchin that both amused her and confused her.

Only for her vision to be blocked by teeth as she turned. Monstrous, devouring teeth that were far too close, far too fast for even her to dodge as she felt them bite into her throat.

For a moment, Esdese knew fear. In all her life, she'd gained strength, won victory after victory, growing by the day as she faced down everything and anything the world could throw at her. She'd beaten it all back by spear, by sword or by fist. But as time slowed, not by use of her Tengu but by her mind going into overdrive, her mask slipped. Letting one, beaten, bloody and half-dead thief see the look of absolute horror on her face as what he thought to be his parting image with this world while they both took the trip to hell together.

Unfortunately for the brat. Fate was not done screwing with him yet. No. In addition to getting torn apart like a chew toy, had half of his bones reduced to dust and lost enough blood to swim in, fate saw fit to turn him into a pin cushion with a pair of feather's blind-siding him before his teeth could sink in far enough to bring the general down.

"General!"

* * *

"Ran!" Esdese shouted up at her subordinate, mind racing at what just happened before picking her opponent up by the scruff of the neck. "Take this boy to the Imperial healers! Quickly! And if he dies, I'll kill everyone in this damn city! That's not a threat, that's a fact!"

The blue haired women tossed the boy up to the surprised young man. After all, one minute the kid was a gnat's whisker away from killing the empire's strongest, the next he was being treated like the emperor himself.

For his part, the tengu-user didn't hesitate at the odd order, instead speeding across the sky's to fulfill the woman's orders. He knew his hide was included in the word 'everyone' and he still had a reason left to live.

"You'll make it kid. Don't worry." Ran reassured the kid as he landed in one of the Palace barracks, before yelling for a medic at a passing soldier. The winged man wasn't the best of doctor's but he knew enough about first aid to stop the bleeding before he was passed off to the professionals.

Ran relayed the message to the healers, putting more than a spring in their step as they hasted off to basically bring back the dead.

* * *

Esdese calmly walked back towards the palace and her quarters. She was in no rush. She needed time to think. To remind herself of the stupidity of underestimating an opponent, and to calm her beating heart.

She'd witnessed heaven and hell in the span of a few short heart beats. Her close brush with death had given her a glimpse at an angel. Esdese brought a hand up to gently rub the wound on her neck. It was deep enough to scar, but it wasn't lethal. No. Ran's intervention saved her from that fate.

No. For now her thoughts would be filled with one image and one image alone. The look on the boys face, even as he was torn away by Ran's metallic feathers. That look of pure joy on his face, of innocent bliss.

Later that day, a one maid would remark to another maid if they knew what 'All check-boxes filled' would mean after hearing it from a passing Esdese on her way to the infirmary.

* * *

The boy hurt all over. But he guessed that was a good thing. If he felt pain, he was still alive. If he was still alive, he could work to maintaining that status.

Didn't explain why he felt like he was laying on a cloud, or more importantly what had a firm but gentle grip on his non-pulverized hand.

He decided to crack an eye open first, get a lay of his surroundings before he decided to run. Every little detail would help, but the sight before him raised more questions than it answered.

He was in an infirmary. Not some back alley doctor's den of probably infected tools, or in a cell after having had his more fatal injuries dealt with. An honest to god infirmary. The boy wondered what brought this on, since the last thing he remembered was the woman getting ready to toss him into the torture chambers.

"You're awake.." And there was the voice that originally uttered those threats. But instead of being condescending or cold, it was oddly warm and loving. Like that wasn't an instant red flag.

The boy jerked away from the sound, only to find that aside from the hand currently being held by Esdese herself, a woman with a grip worthy of her reputation, he was strapped in tight. The doctors probably thought he'd run. He gave Esdese a quick look, confused by the warm smile on her face. Gee, wonder why I'd run, he thought.

"Couldn't just kill me.. could you."

Esdese giggled. This was just getting weirder by the moment. "No. No I couldn't."

He noted the layer of bandages around the woman's neck, taking a hint of pride at the sight, though he wished he had a knife or something to finish the job before the crazy woman could drop the sugary mask and get to the torturing.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I swear." Esdese cut into his thoughts.

"Bullshit."

She gave his hand a soft squeeze, and... was she blushing? How long was he out? Did he wake up in some weird alternate world? Some place filled with wizards bent on world conquest, or perverted devils? He pinched himself, noting the pain. So it wasn't a dream... What the hell happened?

"How are you feeling?"

"I didn't think someone of your status could ask such stupid quu-" The pressure on his hand increased from 'deadlocked' to 'crushing what few unbroken bones you have left' to cut him off, before letting off as suddenly as it began. "What do you want?" At times like this, the boy liked to cut to the chase.

Esdese lit up at the question. "Your name... Please." The last word added as an embarrassed after thought.

"Not telling." And now she's using the puppy dog eyes... why? "Why are you doing that?"

"I'm trying to look cute."

"Doesn't answer the question... one minute you are going to lock me up for life to be used as your personal whipping boy, and the next you are sitting her like some school girl... and why the hell do you keep looking embarrassed?!"

"Is it wrong for a woman to worry bout the man she loves.."

The boy huffed, thinking in an exasperated tone as the meaning of the words hadn't fully hit him just yet.

Then they did. With the force of an avalanche.

**AN:** I have far too many ideas... this story, as interesting an idea as I think it is will probably be put on the backburner while I finish or work on one of the other stories I have going. Still, I think it's an interesting idea. We got Esdese and Zabuza, specifically younger Zabuza, someone a little less jaded with the world. I'd be interested in other people pick up this idea cause I can see quite a bit of potential.**  
**

Mostly cause I find it sad that the only fics in this particular crossover [in english at least] are about Naruto, when there are so many other possibilities. (There is one with Itachi but still.) So I shall continue my pointless and useless crusade for the Demon in the Mist! (Even if I feel like I'm committing some weird taboo for the fact I have no plans of including Haku in this.)

But enough of my personal rant. Just wanted to point out a few things that might come up. (Cause I will agree completely. In a straight up fight, my beloved Esdese could dance an Irish Jig on Zabuza's corpse. Tis why Zabuza rarely fights fair.) Zabuza got lucky. Very, very, very lucky, with his surprise attack. This was a one in a million opportunity that allowed him to get so close to killing Esdese. She underestimated him (even when she was willing to admit he had a massive amount of potential), was toying with him, wasn't aware that surprise attacks were his forte, and most importantly she let her guard down.

So, finishing details to know for future chapters (if I get around to them anytime soon): Zabuza is 14 and yet to hit his growth spurt. He's had no formal training in combat. Every thing he knows is from street fighting, hunting danger beasts and natural skill. What Zabuza will lack in shear destructive and openly offensive power, he'll make up for with his usual stealthiness and his nearly inhuman ability to take a wound and keep going on nothing more than bloodlust alone.

Anyways~ Hope you enjoy, and comments, reviews and thoughts are always welcome~ I will see you all later~


	2. Smash It

She was lying... she had to be. There is no way, no way at all she's telling the truth, the boy thought as he searched the woman's face for anything. A hint of a smirk, a twitch or anything at all that would give the game away.

"Woman-"

"Esdese." She interrupted with a.. the woman looked coy, why did she look so embarrassed? If this was a new form of torture designed to drive him mad, it was working.

"Esdese." The boy bit out. "Don't play games with me. If you are going to kill me, kill me. If you are going to torture me, at least do me the favor of breaking my body. Because these mind games are sick even for the capital. I've stayed out of the damn army for that exact reason. I am not ending up as the fuck toy of some four starred prick or any of his nobleman palls."

That drew a frown from the General, further confusing the boy in it's honesty. He made a note that if he, by some miracle, made it out of this situation alive, he'd take more time out of his day to practice reading people. After all there was no way the sincere look of hurt in the woman's eyes could be faked unless he was loosing his edge.

To his surprise, instead of reacting to his words she pulled out a small little book, the only words he were able to make out being 'how to' and 'romance'. Both of which sent a shiver down his spine.

"I see... is there anyway I can convince you of my feelings?" Esdese's voice came out stilted and embarrassed as she attempted to hide behind the book. If it was anyone else, they would have thought her shy approach cute. Too bad the boy's first impressions of the woman was of him getting worked over like a slice of beef in a butcher's shop.

"Oh sure." The boy allowed more than a hint of sarcasm into his tone. "Untie me and send me on my way would be a nice start, aside from that a kiss on my a-"

At the mention of a kiss, a mischievous spark came into Esdese eye that if the boy noticed would have warned him for what was going to come next. Instead he was caught up in the mindset of a captured prisoner who was going to do everything in his power to at least get a few bits of petty vengeance before they killed him. Or worse.

So it was with genuine surprise he found the general on top of him with their lips locked. What both of them lacked in experience, or in the boys case lack of any emotion to his attacker was more than made up for by the primal lust which she attacked him with. He had no idea how long the kiss lasted, or how Esdese's tongue had ended up in his mouth but he could only stare up at the ceiling as he took deep breathes.

His lungs needed their supply of precious air to quietly mutter out his response. "Do that again... and I'll kill you..."

Esdese just smiled, passing it off as the boy's attempt at flirting. She'd heard it was usually the girls that played the role of the Tsundere, but she was all for gender equality. Besides, the boy was cute when he was angry.

"I'd like to see you try." Esdese teased, wishing she had remembered to bring the collar along. It'd have been the perfect follow up to the kiss. Instead, the pair of them stared at each other. The general happy to get a good look at her lover, mind already racing for ways to improve the boys combat form, to mold him into a perfect man.

The boy just kept his eyes on Esdese, as a thousand thoughts ran through his head. Unfortunately they all came to the same depressing conclusion.

"You're not lying. Are you?" He asked, finally feeling the exhaustion catch up to him when she flashed him a smile. A woman with her reputation should have the ability to look so damn innocent, the boy thought with a sigh. He didn't even know why he bothered asking since the answer was written plain as day across her face. The women was a monster in the battlefield but her emotions were an open book.

"No, I'm not. I really do love you..." Esdese confirmed before trailing off, remembering she still hadn't gotten the boy's name. The flash of acceptance that passed over his gaze was enough to sedate her for now though.

"Esdese." She suppressed the shivers that ran down her spine as he said her name without the tinge of hatred or contempt in his tone. For such a small boy, his voice was rather deep. He'd probably grow into it with the proper training and food. "I'll make you a deal..."

Oh? Her curiosity was peaked. "And what would you like?"

"That roll of bandages there, and if possible the use of my other arm." The boy tried to motion with his hand to the shelf of medical supplies across the room from him, but Esdese still hadn't let him go. Least her grip wasn't as constricting as before.

"And in return?"

"I'll give you a name."

"Deal." No hesitation. Esdese with great reluctance let go of the boy's hand to take the short walk needed to grab the roll of cloth. If it was a plan to escape, then she looked forward to seeing him try in his current state. Especially if his only weapon was a bundle of weak fabric.

She walked back to her seat, placing the bandages next to his free hand before leaning over to untie his bound wrist. Could she have walked around? Absolutely, but she had read that physical contact was important in a relationship, and just because she didn't have any plans of sleeping with her lover till he was older, didn't mean she couldn't tease him like a good little pet.

The boy just blatantly ignored the feel of Esdese on top of him as he flexed his hands, trying to get some feeling back into them. Eventually he was free, Esdese back in her seat, probably not trusting him.

A valid point in his mind. He was already looking for ways to escape if needed but for now he'd stay. The women seemed to generally care bout him and if he had General Esdese in his pocket.

Having the Empire's Strongest on his side opened far more doors then it closed. He just had to deal with this carefully.

With that in mind the boy sat up, looking over his hands. They must have used a healing tengu or some fancy medicine since last he remembered, his left hand had resembled a lump of shredded flesh and bone. Now it was as bandaged as the rest of him.

Passable. The boy thought as he gave his hands one last reassuring squeeze. He picked up the roll of bandages with a groan of effort, confirming his suspicion that even if his arms were no longer broken, they were in no way completely fixed.

Never the less, the boy pressed on as Esdese watched with mild curiosity. The healers hadn't missed a wound on his battered body for fear of her wrath, so she couldn't think of any specific reason as to why he was doing what he was doing.

So she just watched as he began to wrap the bandages around his neck in well practiced motions, noticing how he fought through the pain, passing the roll from hand to hand as the bandages steadily worked their way up from neck, to chin to the bottom of his lips. She remembered every wound she gave him, and was rather impressed. Most would still be unable to use their arms even with medical attention.

As he started to slow down, Esdese got an idea. It'd be perfect she thought before reaching out in an attempt to help with the wrapping. Instead her fingers narrowly avoided the jagged teeth that had come to fascinate her.

Esdese's eyes snapped to the boy's, who met her gaze with his own.

"I, can do it myself. I'm not an invalid." He said before continuing.

"No, but you are mine. And if I want to help you. I will help you." Esdese snatched the roll of bandages out of the boy's hand, making sure to dodge the boy as he snapped his jaws at her the first few times she attempted to approach him. Finally she had enough and pinned him by the throat to the bed.

"Snap at me again, and I will break your neck. Now, let me help so you can get some rest. Tomorrow we are going to start your training, and I don't want to break any more of your bones unless you make me."

The boy just snorted as Esdese eased the pressure on his throat. "I will do it myself."

In others the tone of voice would have stopped any chance of an argument. But Esdese was stubborn, and knew she was the superior fighter, so he couldn't threaten her. "Shut up and sit up."

He just laid there for a moment, looking into her eyes for a moment before sighing again. He was already in for one gold coin, might as well go with the rest, the boy thought as he eased himself up. He did his best to ignore the pleased smirk on the blue-haired woman's lips.

With a gentleness that went against everything he'd heard about the women, Esdese picked the boy up, to seat herself on the bed with the boy in her lap for easier access.

"How far up?" She asked, getting an idea of what he was trying to do.

"Bridge of the nose."

Esdese nodded before going back to her task in silence.

She's taking her sweet time, he thought. If he'd been allowed to do the job himself, he'd have been finished by now. But no, the General was taking her time. At least it gave him time to think about his situation.

Some people would kill to be in his position, the boy groaned internally. For all of her gentleness, he knew that it was going to be a rare thing, something he was happy bout. He preferred it when people weren't coddling him. He'd been raised in the wilds for most of his life, and the city streets for the rest of it, so dealing with people that actually cared was a new experience.

"You know. You owe me your name."

The statement dragged the boy out of his thoughts, a few of them being that at least one perk of his gilded cage was that Esdese's body was a comfortable coldness. But that thought was buried under a mountain of ways concerning how to best exploit his position. For now his best option was to wait and see. If he needed to pretend to be the woman's lover to get him a high-ranking position in the army, or heaven forbid a Tengu, sign him up now.

"Zabuza." That seemed to gather the woman's attention.

"Southern Tribes?"

Zabuza just nodded as Esdese tried to keep the conversation going. A bit of morbid curiosity in her wanted to know if she had destroyed the boy's clan. She'd never apologize for it of course. The southerns she fought were weak, therefore they deserved to die, but it'd be handy to know.

"I'm from a Northern Tribe. Partas."

"Kiri."

Ah. Esdese smiled to herself as she finally covered Zabuza's mouth with the bandages. He was a descendant of the Bloody Mist. A clan that had killed itself off through constant infighting. Least it explained his abilities with stealth in her mind. He was a natural assassin by birth.

The conversation lulled after that, allowing her to make short work of the remaining bandages. She'd ask later why he wanted to hide his face. He wasn't unattractive, but Esdese remembered how her book recommended taking things slow or he might be scared away. He'd never escape from her, but she didn't want to punish him any more than he had to.

Instead she tied the ends together in silence before wrapping her arms around Zabuza. He squirmed in an attempt to get out for a few minutes with a few muttered threats but eventually he gave in and sat quietly as Esdese gently rested her chin on his shoulder. By the time Zabuza's wounds were starting to ache, the blue-haired woman was already asleep, dreaming of a taller, older version of the boy in her arms as they tore through wave after wave of danger beast and soldiers by each others side.

Later Zabuza would complain to himself that while he personally wouldn't admit to finding her sleeping face adorable, he'd grudgingly admit others might.

**An:** Boom, chapter dos. Not much to say aside from giving a brief explination on -why- I went with a younger Zabuza. Long story short, Zabuza is a control freak. He doesn't like not having to bow to other peoples will, or to follow orders. That's my interpretation of him at least, which I think is rather canon. Anyways. A later teenage Zabuza would have joined the army, and probably been glossed over as just another soldier by Esdese, and an adult Zabuza would be too headstrong to even consider going along with things.

No. I made him young to put Zabuza on the back foot. He's not in a position of power. He knows it and hates it. So yes. That's why he's a bit on the young side. Besides, Esdese isn't that old. I'd put her at 26 max, and I'm pretty sure that Esdese is a lot of things, but I just don't see her as a pedo, so she'd wait a few years to make her physical advances any more than kissing and hugging.

But for now~ Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I shall see you all later for the next one~ (And feel free to check out other stories, specifically some of the one shots cause I really would love some more feedback on those.) Regardless! Have fun and hopefully see you later~ :)


	3. Crash It

"You know, yesterday it was admirable." Wave said with a small smile as he watched Zabuza and Esdese's spar in the courtyard. They'd been going for a few hours and the young boy was already covered in a mix of bruises and sweat from getting tossed around like a chew toy.

"In fact I was even a bit jealous." The former sailor continued as he watched Zabuza charge with a quiet snarl at the playful grin dancing across beautiful general's face.

"To be trained by the Empire's strongest herself." Zabuza disappeared in burst of speed, Wave had to admire the kid's ability to hide in plain sight. Misdirection and his free form style would make him a formidable foe when he was older.

"It's a rare opportunity indeed." Bols nodded from his place beside his fellow Jaeger as Zabuza reappeared to Esdese's left, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Zabuza's left fist shot towards Esdese's midsection only to be caught at the last second.

"Then I realized..." Wave trailed off as Zabuza jumped off the ground, using his own caught fist as a pivot point to twist his body up to plant a foot in Esdese's smug face.

"Esdese is brutal." Zabuza's grin was wiped off his face as he realized the sound he was hearing was the dull thud or crack of an injured nose, but Esdese's now familiar giggles at his varies attempts to injure her. His foot was caught by his opponent's other hand a good two inches from her face. The bandaged boy barely bit out a swear before he was tossed full force into a nearby pillar.

Wave and Bols both winced, not sure if the sound that came from Zabuza's direction was the boy's spine or the pillar snapping. They waited with baited breath for a few moments, knowing from experience that their commander would punish them for helping their newest comrade, or the boy himself would snap at them. Wave nearly lost a finger the first time.

"Ugh.." Zabuza struggled to his feet, eyes never leaving Esdese's inviting smile. "Getting soft there women.. I think you only cracked one rib." He said with a sarcastic deadpan.

Esdese's smile grew even larger as she slowly stepped forward. "Oh don't worry Zabuza, the days not over yet." He wasn't sure if the women honestly didn't notice his tone, or choose to ignore it.

Zabuza straighten himself out, cracking his back before pulling a knife out of his new grey pinstripe pants. He'd been provided a new set of clothes, much to his own annoyance. He knew his old shirt and pants were rags, but they were his rags. The fact they didn't even bother to ask his opinion on what to do with them did little to improve his sour temper.

In an act of defiance, he'd threatened to strangle the healer with his bed sheets if the quack thought he was going to force him into a shirt. Though his satisfaction at beating the system took a nose dive once Esdese showed up. The approval of his attire was almost enough to get him to change. But that would be admitting defeat to the quack, so he'd spend the couple day since his release from the infirmary bare-chested.

"Days not over she says... sadist." Zabuza grumbled as Esdese stopped a few feet away from him. His back was to a pillar, his injuries were starting to catch up with him, and worst of all, he hadn't managed to get a scratch on the bitch after an entire afternoon. Next time, spend more than one day to heal before getting back into these damn death matches with a maniac, he thought with grim acceptance.

"Oh don't be like that. This is for your own good. You are getting better Zabuza." Esdese reassured the boy as she settled back into a loose stance, letting Zabuza make the first move.

Zabuza took a deep breath, as Esdeath and the audience of two watched something in the boy shift. "I'm not a child to be given a damn gold star for effort." The combatants stared each other down, waiting for some unseen signal as Zabuza absentmindedly twirled the knife in his right hand.

With flick of wrist, the duel was back on. The knife sailing through the air intent on planting itself in one of Esdese's bright blue eyes as Zabuza did his traditional charge forward. For half a second, Zabuza disappeared from Esdese's view as she tilted her neck to avoid the blade. In that half a second, she heard a voice behind her, Zabuza's voice.

"_Esdese."_ It was warm, caring and unlike anything she'd heard from him in the past three days since they'd first met. It was one word that sent shivers through her body and in a momentary lack of judgement, driven by curiosity and the beating in her chest, she turned her head to the left in a hopes to see a smiling Zabuza. Her brain not yet catching up with the fact that Zabuza wasn't fast enough to get behind her in the short amount of time she lost sight of him.

It was only when she felt Zabuza's elbow impact her stomach that she remembered exactly what was going on in time to jump back, saving herself from most of the damage.

"That was a dirty trick." She glared at the boy, who even under the bandages could be seen wearing a smug smile. Normally she'd be impressed, he'd managed to land a hit, got her to drop her guard. It was the fact he'd played with her feelings that sent her temper flaring.

Zabuza just shrugged, eyes dead as he stared up at his opponent. "I'm an assassin. You want honorable, go kill a knight." He dropped his shoulders, searching Esdese's eyes. He could tell the spare was over just from the thin line in her face.

Shit, he thought. I've actually managed to piss her off. Zabuza's mind raced before he sighed. "To be honest, didn't expect it to work. I apologize."

He was lying through his teeth, but when Esdese's smile came back his fear for his life disappeared. For about two seconds, before the general nearly tackled him, burying his head in her ample chest.

"Apology accept!" Esdese pressed against him harder as Zabuza struggled for air.

* * *

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if this isn't just some elaborate and drawn out execution for the kid." Wave chuckled as he watched Zabuza flail about in Esdese's grasp. Once free, the boy started to curse

"Ah.. to be young and in love." Bols sighed before joining Wave with a few muffled laughs.

* * *

"Never.. do that.. again." Zabuza said between gasps for air, wishing that Esdese wasn't looking so damn pleased with herself. The contemplative blush on her face didn't bode well for him either.

"I make no promises. You are mine after all, I can play with you as much as I like, how I like."

Zabuza snorted before he felt a hand at the back of his neck. "Now come along. We need to get you dressed to find you a Tengu."

Knowing it was useless to struggle out of Esdese's grasp, he still didn't feel like making things easy as he dug his heels into the floor.

Eventually, they came to Esdese's room. He refused to think of it as 'their room' as she so often referred to it.

With more force than was necessary in Zabuza's mind, he was thrown onto the bed with a groan that only seemed to reinforce Esdese's smile. He'd known the women the women for barely four days but she lived up to her reputation as a sadist. What little time wasn't spent 'training' him was spent interrogating prisoners for information on the various rebel factions or Night raid.

Training... Zabuza could have laughed at the word. It was a fancy way of saying she kicked his ass for hours on end. Still, he couldn't argue that constantly hovering between life and death wasn't giving him an edge. One slip up and the blue-haired woman's deceptively strong fists would break every bone in his body without hesitation.

"Turn around, I need to see your back." Esdese commanded, holding a familiar palm-sized container in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other. A general heal-all salve that the healers gave to her. A new one each morning since they went through it like water.

"Not a chance in hell women. I can dress my own wounds."

"Even the ones you can't reach?"

Zabuza growled as he was manhandled, this time fighting against his 'lover's' grip. He was not some baby to be fussed over at every opportunity, and he said as much between his low threats of murdering Esdese in her sleep and various other protests. But like a lot of matters concerning the blue-haired beauty in the past few days, he lost due to the sheer strength of his opponent.

Eventually, he was forced onto his stomach, face buried in the silk sheets. Another thing that was hard to get used to. A life time of sleeping in the elements or cheap taverns, if he had some spare coins, made the softness of a good pillow, and sheets that didn't scratch at his skin felt weird. Never mind the fact Esdese enjoyed cuddling him in his sleep. It all added up to a matching pair of dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep. Zabuza only hoped this stupid adventure into the capital would get better eventually.

"Good boy." Esdese said as she straddled his lower back, voice as sweet as sugar as she popped the lid off the tiny box. She had to stifle a laugh at the size difference, knowing that one day the rolls might be reversed and she'd have to look up at him.

He didn't what pissed him off more. Having to submit to Esdese, or the fact her concern was always so genuine for him. As if she wasn't the reason he looked like an abstract artist's rendition of a starry capital night, the various black and purple welts dotted across his torso.

"You really should wear a shirt. You'll catch a cold." Esdese scooped up a generous portion of the green goop, rubbing it between her hands to warm it up before pressing them against Zabuza's cold skin. "Not that I really mind, you look rather dashing without one, but I don't want something as pathetically mundane as a cold to make you too weak to spare."

When Esdese's hand's touched his back, Zabuza stiffened in a mixture of pain and relief as the medicine worked it's magic on his aching body. He could ignore the pain well enough, a standard trick from his tribe but that didn't mean it was gone entirely. Instead he'd just let Esdese talk, and respond if he felt like it.

"For someone living on the streets, you have a surprisingly short number of scars." Esdese's hands were gentle but firm as they worked in small circles, stopping every so often to get more of the salve before she went back to work. This was the first time she'd ever gotten a good look at him. During the spares she was busy contemplating his next move, or watching him as a whole, and during the day, she was usually forced away from him to attend other business.

I'll need to rework my schedule, she thought as Zabuza squirmed under her, I need to spend more time with him. Lovers spend time together. Esdese nodded to herself.

"Until you came along, most of my fights were over before they began. A fight I can lose is a battle I have no intention of fighting."

"So you thought I was easy prey?" Esdese smirked in a predatory manner as she leaned forward, enjoying the slight groans of pain that came out of Zabuza as she whispered in his ear.

"That's one way to say it."

"And the other way?" She joked, curious to hear what Zabuza's first impressions of her were.

"I thought you were a whore." Zabuza paused as he felt Esdese's nails dig into his flesh, he choose his next few words carefully. "A lot of beautiful women work their way up the ranks by sleeping with a superior officer. To most it seems like a good deal. Lie back and think of the Emperor for a few nights, then you are sitting pretty with a desk job and a captain's badge to do with as you wish... You wouldn't be the first the first man or women in an Imperial Guard officer uniform that didn't know the business end of a knife." Zabuza raised his neck, to stare at the wall instead of the white sheets as he mumbled the next part. "Boy was I wrong..."

"Really now?" This was news to her. It certainly didn't sound like something Budo would approve off. If standards had slipped that much, it was no wonder they had spies in their ranks. "And how do you know which ones are actual soldiers?"

"The way they walk." Zabuza bit back a whimper as Esdese adjusted her position, rolling off his back to lay by his side to stare at him with a familiar look in her eyes. Curiosity mixed with glee. Apparently any hopes of getting a Tengu were out the window for the night. He knew talking was a bad idea, or struggling. The more he struggled, the more she tried to subdue him, but like hell he was going to just lay down and accept half the things she was going to do to him.

"Hands are also a good indicator, but it's mostly the way they walk. Soldiers will walk with purpose. If they are going anywhere, it's to get from point A to B, with long measured strides. Like marching. The other women saunter, they are rarely in a rush and since their jobs is to seduce instead of fight, it becomes a habit. It's little things like that. The makeup is the big one though. A regular soldier won't care enough to put on cover up, much less lipstick since they expect to get dirty."

Esdese nodded slightly, making notes in her head to do a review of the Imperial Guard at her earliest convenience before something in her head clicked. "Oh! I almost forgot." She jumped off the bed, running to grab something from her dresser before taking her place by Zabuza's side again. "I got you a present."

Zabuza only responded with a huff, too comfortable to care, even if the look of excitement and anticipation brought a small smirk to his face. The crazy woman seemed to have two settings, frigid murderer or excited school girl.

"Sit up." She commanded, and when Zabuza failed to move she pulled him up to face away from her. His curiosity was peaked when she began to fiddle with the knot that held his mask of bandages in place.

"What are you doing?" He asked, tensing up as Esdese continued to try and work with the cloth, not wanting to rip it. She'd learned in their short time together that Zabuza was not willing to show his face unless pressed, but she wanted to see his smile when he received his gift. Eventually though she gave up and flipped him around to face her.

"Here. This is for you." Esdese held out her hands, a black leather collar with a sterling silver cross in the middle in the middle.

It didn't take an idiot to know the symbolism behind a collar, and it took every bit of effort for Zabuza not to attack the women then and there. Instead he picked it up, and held it up to the light, as if he was admiring the craftsmanship.

"It's beautiful." Zabuza said with a small smirk before he pounced, knocking them both down to the floor before he managed to struggle his way on top of Esdese. His hands were a blur as he took off the small blue scarf she always wore, and replaced it with the collar, his smirk growing as he heard the clink of the clasp closing around her slim neck. "Too bad, I am not a pet to be leashed. It looks far better on you though."

Esdese's face couldn't seem to decided if it wanted to settle on anger or amusement before she reversed the positions. Apparently anger had won, though Zabuza could still see the traces of a smirk as she glared down at him. "You're right. You aren't my pet. But you are _my _lover. So until you beat me. I make the decisions. You are cute, and you have potential, Za-bu-za. But your life is in my hand. Don't forget that. You belong to _me. _Not the other way round."

Zabuza snorted as Esdese continued. "Now, it's late. So I'm going to get changed, and when I come back. I want an apology, and if I'm satisfied, I might not flog you. Then we will go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I look forward to seeing how the new recruit stacks up against you."

Esdese leaned down and gave Zabuza a rather chaste kiss on the lips before standing up. He knew she was taking her time, having herself a little victory march as she walked into the bathroom to change while Zabuza glared at her back.

Fine, he thought as he stood up himself, stripping down to his boxers. If that's how you want to play it. One cut. I'll get strong enough to kill you in one cut.


	4. Trash It

An oxymoron. To the uneducated masses of the empire, it meant an eight-sided idiot. To those with a scrap of intelligence or lucky enough to have an education, they'd know it as a statement that contradicts itself such as open secret, rebel loyalist and the one that was currently running through his head, annoyingly comfortable.

So, while Zabuza would agree he is a multifaceted knit-whit for ever drawing Esdese's attention, much less her ire, or more fatally her heart, he had bigger complaints at the moment. Primarily that as he lay in bed half-awake with only the barest hint of light coming through the window, he felt calm, and dare he say it relaxed. An emotion that was as irritating as it was puzzling.

Esdese's fingers running through his hair, gently twirling spiky strands of black hair before letting it go. The process had been repeated at least twenty times since he'd woken up, and he didn't want to think of how long she'd been playing with him as he slept.

Still, the fact remained that he lay nestled in her chest, while Esdese wore a look like she'd received... Zabuza had to stop to actually think of an appropriate metaphor for how sickeningly pleased she looked. His process was cut off as the tips of the blue-haired general's fingers touched his scalp again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the corner of Esdese's mouth rise as she caught his eye, and that was the final straw. They both knew he was awake, but acknowledging the fact was far more than Zabuza was comfortable admitting. Especially with the almost nauseating amount of glee that radiated from his impromptu pillow.

How he'd managed to get himself into this particular entanglement was beyond him, but he had a strong feeling that it wasn't entirely of his own doing. No, as Zabuza's eye narrowed at Esdese's continue contact, he knew exactly how this came to be.

"Good morning." If she noticed Zabuza tensing up against her, she played it off as nothing as she whispered to him. "Did you have a good sleep?"

As her eyes went down to where his head was resting, Zabuza had had enough. He rolled off of her, the coolness of her body against his back now replaced with the soft mattress as he ignored his bunk-mate. He refused to say bed-mate, or any other term.

Brushing off Zabuza's cold shoulder, Esdese shifted behind him, wrapping her arms around his midsection. "You could at least say good morning." She purred in his ears.

"And you could stop touching me. But since we both know that isn't going to happen, I'll pass on the greetings." He shot back.

Resting her chin on the croak of Zabuza's neck, Esdese sighed. "I'm just trying to be nice. Isn't that what lovers do? Be nice to each other. One would almost think you didn't know how to treat a girl right."

"Skipped out on the usual back street manner's course. Busy with more important matters."

"Mugging hookers in uniform?" Esdese teased, and held her grip in place as Zabuza struggled to break free. She played along, countering and reversing everywhere she could as her lover tried to break free, neither paying attention to the time as Esdese wrested him into submission, the impish smirk never leaving her face.

* * *

Terrance had very few complaints about life. Father while an occasional jerk, wasn't an abusive drunk like many of his comrades complained about. His mother had never had to sell herself to pay rent or the daily bread. His brothers, while neither held high positions in society, a baker and a scribe respectively, were both pleasant company when he saw them. He was even assigned guard duty at the imperial palace, which compared to border patrol, was the lap of luxury. By average of the capital, Terrance was blessed with a boring, pleasant, and more importantly lucky life.

Luck that seemed to have ran out as he looked at the tangle of half dressed limbs and sheets.

The general had a meeting to attend, a meeting she was late to. He had knocked, twice. And hadn't heard any response through the thick wooden doors of the general's chambers, which lead him to a choice.

He weighed his options. Open the door, and possibly disturb the general from her sleep. Esdese wasn't known for her cruelty towards her fellow solider, but Terrance knew that the distinction between friend and foe was a line easily crossed by some people. Morality in the capital held as much power as the Emperor, especially when used on someone with a reputation like the general.

Or, he could just leave. Pretend that Wave fellow hadn't asked him to retrieve her, and hope no one noticed. She'd be even later, but unless she asked why noone sent for her, he'd be in the clear. This plan assumed she, or Wave wouldn't mention him. If he did so, he'd be accused of dereliction of duty, and that wasn't an offense he was certain to survive given the reputation already brought to mind, never mind Budo.

He weighed his decision, and made up his mind, pressing both palms to the door and pushed.

* * *

"You didn't have to kill him."

Esdese glared at Zabuza's bored reprimand, arms crossed over her chest, pinning her night shirt in place. "I was hardly going to let him live." Her tone frosty as she buttoned her shirt, it having come undone during Zabuza's escape attempt. Leaving her far more exposed than she cared to be when the soldier burst in.

"Waste of a tool." Zabuza mused, tapping the corpse with the tip of his foot.. He could only feel a spark of empathy for the fool, tainted as it was by gallows humor. Least the man got to see his life off with a nice view.

"Hardly." Esdese disagreed as she smoothed herself over, her feathers ruffled. It had been going so well to. She'd lost track of time, certainly, but she at least enjoyed the sight of Zabuza struggling under her. He seemed to breaking her style down by the hour, the tide of battle going in his direction until she stopped holding back. It was a battle of the tides, push and pull.

For his part, Zabuza was more interested in finding a servant to clear the body away, and clean up the carpet. If he played this off right, he might be able to get himself a separate room, free of Esdese. A notion that was cut off as Esdese grabbed him by the damn collar and started dragging him.

"And what are you doing?" He growled quietly.

"We. Are late. Therefore, we do not have enough time for two separate baths." She said, once his heels had dug into tile. Zabuza didn't even have time to argue against this mistreatment before he was stripped and tossed into the tub. "And don't worry, I'll keep my hands above the waist."

* * *

"You sick?" Wave asked, noting the pink tinge on Zabuza's face and hoped it wasn't a fever as the boy took the open seat to his right, glaring daggers in response.

The group sans the new member had stood to attention and saluted on Esdese's entrance, their commanding officer seemed exceptionally pleased this morning, oddly so considering she was an hour late for her own meeting. Those already aware of her situation with Zabuza wrote it off as something romantic.

"That bad, huh?" Wave teased, a kick to the shin shutting him up as Esdese took her seat to Zabuza's left. The kiss she left on his cheek was a bit much, so his gaze shifted from Wave to his supposed lover. She'd worn the same smug look since they'd left the bath, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. Zabuza tuned out of the meetings proceedings after it became clear Esdese adored the attention she was getting, he could always ask Run for details later.

Pretty boy may not know it, but he owed Zabuza a debt for turning him into a pin cushion and not having the grace for finishing the job. Would have freed him from the blue-haired she-demon next to him.

With his gaze to wander, Zabuza locked onto the new guy. The tournament winner, the kid who would have met Esdese earlier if he hadn't made the stupid decision to mug a monster.

He didn't look like much, that was for certain. Hell, you don't even know his name, Zabuza chided himself as he watched the kid from the corner of his eye.

Brown haired and green eyes. His eyes were probably his only distinguishing feature. Any muscle was hidden under layers of clothing, along with any scars. He didn't have the air of a killer, much less a soldier, but that could be taught if needed. He had to question the logic that a tournament fighter would find a place in a special combat squad such as the Jaegers. Zabuza knew the only reason that he was included was bold-face favoritism, more so than any current skill.

He was on edge though, his eyes constantly glancing around in a way that Zabuza could only assume was supposed to be subtle. Nerves? Zabuza mused to himself as he watched the guy shift in his seat, watching everyone. Zabuza made sure to avert his eyes every-time the new guy's attention was focused on himself, pretending to find the stitching of Bols's mask far more interesting than whatever words were being exchanged.

He was brought out his people watching when Esdese's foot nudged him, and he turned his attention to find himself being handed a stack of paper, needing only a small nudge of her blue head for Zabuza to get the message, taking one and passing the stack to Wave.

This made things more complicated. Symbols and pictures he knew as words were staring up at him, and he made a decent showing of calmly and slowly slipping from page to page as he tried to figure out exactly what he was looking at. Only a few words stuck out to him, the ever present 'revolutionary army' that was plastered on wanted posters all through the capital was among those printed before him. So if he had to hazard a guess, he was handed a report of some sort, probably with everything Esdese had just explained in this waste of time.

Any thoughts on the mystery boy were left behind at this crisis, as Zabuza stared at the page before him, willing the words to make sense.

* * *

"Zabuza."

No response, he was still staring at the action report. If she wasn't in the middle of a meeting, she may have taken the time to admire how his slim eyebrow's scrunched up, or how focused his gaze could be, knowing that one day she'd be the subject to such appraisal. Instead she repeated herself, in a firmer tone.

"I heard you the first time you said my name."

"Then come."

"Not your damn dog." He grumbled, as he pushed himself out of the chair, wondering where everyone else went. Paying too much attention to how much shit you are in to notice they left. Never a good sign.

He found out as soon as they reached his and Esdese's normal sparing courtyard, but the new guy stood in Esdese's starting place instead of the blue-haired general. His nerves still seemed to be in place though, shifting his weight from foot to foot in an attempt to ease his tension as he waited for... Esdese stopped beside Wave and leveled him with a look.

Zabuza was to be the new guy's punching bag. To test his metal for all to see. He'd admit, it was a good idea. Why go through the process of hazing the new guy, when you could set him up against a known quantity that wouldn't obliterate him in one move, ie, Esdese. Still, it was irksome that he got chosen.

"I refuse." He said, standing his ground in front of Esdese.

"I didn't think you had a choice in the matter. It'd be good training. You and Tatsumi could spar when I am unavailable." Esdese soothed. Her logic was sound, but he refused. He'd been bent to her will enough already in one day for him to submit again, in front of an audience no less.

His stance screamed 'Make me.' Esdese's response was swift and unseen by most, only the long line of red on Zabuza's cheek and her drawn rapier evidence she'd acted.

"I have been lenient, Zabuza. Do not test me or my love for you though. Or I will discipline you. Simple, as that." His eyes didn't flinch, the message easily seen, sending shivers down Esdese's spine at the strength behind it.

He was going to kill her. One day, Esdese would die by his hands.

Zabuza turned towards the newly named Tatsumi, the guy's shock and sympathy written clearly across his face, hastily changed to a smile that was supposed to be friendly, but left him looking like an idiot in Zabuza's mind.

"Well, let's have a good match, Zabuza. No hard feelings?"

**AN: **No real promises when the next chapter will be. Hopefully some time next week or this week. I'm trying to get into the habit of writing more. But yes. Friendly reminder. This is Akame Ga Kill, so people may die, and that Esdese and Zabuza are by no means 'good' people. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a good day~ ^.^


	5. Broken Toys

It was the tone, mixed with that fucking smile. Unguarded and simple kindness. Sympathy with Zabuza's situation, and above all else, pity. Quiet, self-righteous pity, that he had to suffer through. No one looked at him with pity. The baker and his scum had seen him as a dirty sack of cash, who'd give him what he paid for so long as he coughed up the coin. The members of Jaeger either laughed at him or acknowledged him as a comrade in their short time together. Knowing that for all it's issues, he was in a rather comfortable position.

Even Esdese didn't pity him, from their first meeting where she nearly killed him, to every spare that followed. She wanted things from him. Strength, love, both things that she promised to return. She did everything out of her twisted view of love, not something as pathetic as what he could see behind the emerald mirrors of Tatsumi's eyes.

He didn't know Tatsumi. Hell, he had just learned the guys name not even a minute ago, as Zabuza took his place across from him. Tatsumi's sword was drawn, held in his left hand and ready in a loose stance, neither offensive or defensive. Zabuza made no move for either knife strapped to his side as Esdese started to count down.

But he already hated the guy. He pulled down the bandages, exposing the jagged teeth that were his heritage. And once Esdese gave the signal to start, he was off like a shot.

Tatsumi wasn't bad, far better than most soldiers Zabuza had the pleasure of mugging, his strikes clean and efficient. But there was nothing original, they were the cross cut, or hack and slashes of a thousand nameless guards that came before Tatsumi. He was formally trained, proper stance and fighting style. It made him effective, and strong. It also made him predictable as Zabuza's body bent and ducked with each attack, slowly pushing Tatsumi back across the sparing ground. He'd faced off and survived more soldiers than he could remember, he wasn't going to fall to some wannabe.

If Wave or Bols were cheering him on, Zabuza didn't notice over the low drowning in the back of his head, watching, waiting and flowing with each attack. Tatsumi over extended, a sword thrust with too much weigh behind the step, a movement that caused a seconds hesitation, the one thing Zabuza needed to close the few inches need. One arm grabbed Tatsumi's wrist as his other fist slammed under his arm pit with a low popping sound. Zabuza followed through, twisting the taller boy's body against his before throwing Tatsumi over his shoulder.

Tatsumi had the grace to land on his feet at least, not a perfect landing, but a stuttered step to gain his balance as he rolled his dislocated soldier. Zabuza stood back and watched, waiting to see how his opponent would react. Tatsumi smiled back, a small bead of sweat on the boy's forehead. "You're better than I thought. For that I'm sorry for going easy on you till now."

His sword switched hands, and his gaze sharpened. Zabuza couldn't read his mind, but he could see the gears turning in the man's head, and hesitation leaving his form. It was Zabuza's turn to be put on the defensive.

Tatsumi's swings were faster, and stronger. Zabuza heard them coming more than he saw them, feeling steel bite into flesh with each close dodge. His opponent was going for blood now, wanting him to submit out of pain. Tatsumi didn't want to kill him, he wanted this fight to be over with, because it was clear when Zabuza drew his knives and had to start blocking, who the stronger of the two was.

Ducking under a slash, Zabuza dove forward, knife aimed for his heart. The other one had snapped under the force of Tatsumi's sword, to be promptly tossed away. It was a good cut, and would have killed Tatsumi, if he hadn't side stepped the blow, bringing the pommel of his sword down onto the back of Zabuza's neck.

It's a good thing the taste of dirt is familiar, Zabuza thought as he stared at the ground. He hadn't been beaten this badly since meeting Esdese. At least that had a point, survival. Was there even a point to this? It's just a spare to show what the new guy could do. Certainly kick your ass, the traitorous side of himself commented. There was no purpose in continuing this farce.

Raising his head to give up, knowing how the match would continue, he was stopped as he looked at Esdese. Disappointment crossed with worry. She expected better of him, apparently

"Oh for the love of..." Zabuza said fingers digging into the dirt as he picked himself up, turning his back to Esdese to face his opponent, but still aware of her gaze on him as he undid his bandages, taking them off his face entirely, sloppily wrapping them around his hand. "You know what to do when someone has the upper hand?"

Tatsumi laughed shyly, wondering what Zabuza was talking about. "I'm sorry?"

"You break it." Zabuza flexed his arms, feeling the blood flow through his veins as drew up the hatred and the rage he held down, letting it boil, and stew. He let the burning sensation in his chest take over until it went cold, and started to roll off of him, darkening his vision. Anger took away the pain in his limbs, removed the weight of exhaustion and reminded him that strength meant nothing. Not when he still had a blade to fight with.

In an instant Tatsumi blinked, losing sight of his shorter opponent and the weird aura that appeared. Instinct took over as he turned on his heels, deflecting a thrown knife with his blade, watching it spin past his head as Zabuza reappeared. He caught the spinning handle, and dived down, blade catching against the cloth of Tatsumi's sweater and slicing it in half, drawing a thin line of blood before following through.

Steel rang against steel as the two traded blows, Tatsumi struggling to keep up with Zabuza's new found speed, finding himself pushed back. Tatsumi dodged a knife thrust, aimed far too close to his heart for comfort before retaliating with a downward slash of his own, pommel of his sword falling down towards Zabuza's face. A knockout blow, this spar having gone far in his mind.

Tatsumi's eyes widen as Zabuza twisted his neck, bending forward as he caught Tatsumi's wrist between his jaws. Bones snapped as Tatsumi's sword dropped to dirt. He'd lost any momentum he'd had in the fight as Zabuza's fist met his face, bringing them both to the ground.

Zabuza's bite loosened in a flash, as he readjusted himself to straddle Tatsumi's waist before laying into the older boy. Struggling against Wave and Bols as they pulled him off of Tatsumi.

* * *

"You won."

"Fuck off." Zabuza countered quietly, not moving as Esdese continued to dab at his cuts. Tatsumi had been taken to the infirmary by the others, leaving Esdese to deal with her lover. He could hear the reprimand coming, and he wasn't going to have any of it. He'd won after all, that was all that mattered.

"Are you expecting a lecture? You won. How you do it is not my problem. I simply expect that you won't have any problems with Tatsumi in the future." Esdese said, applying the bandage to one of the cuts on his cheek. She was starting to see why he wore bandages as attire, she'd never seen him walk away from a fight as anything other than bruised or cut up. Would certainly save himself time if he carried them around like that.

Zabuza snorted, ignoring the pain as Esdese pressed a finger to the back of his skull, testing for a bump.

"Of course there is room for improvement." Esdese felt Zabuza bristle under her touch as she continued. "You have talent, but no training. You're swings are wild and unchecked. You leave yourself open to far more damage than you need to. Just because you can take a hit and keep on going, doesn't mean that you should." She emphasized the point by lightly smacking one of the various cuts on his chest. Zabuza didn't flinch, glaring at her for the comment and the comment alone.

The spar had been a learning experience for her. She'd always fought Zabuza, never observed him fight, and from a distance she was better able to pick him apart. He was arrogant, years of uncontested rule of the streets having gone to his head. He was talented, able to pick apart another's fighting style with ease. Tatsumi was better than many she'd seen in years, yet Zabuza had held his own, flowing with an ease she'd never forget in the first part of their fight. And more importantly, he was determined.

Zabuza had proven himself stronger that Tatsumi. He had a will to live the older boy lacked. He would break before he bent. A thought that intrigued Esdese. She might have to change tactics, Zabuza's display prior to the match still fresh in her mind.

"Would you like me to teach you? Proper swordsmanship." She smiled at him, the prospect of molding him willingly instead of fighting with him every step of the way far more appealing to her. Well, not completely, Esdese smirked. The wrestling was fun, and next time she'd only need to lock the door, so that she could play with Zabuza at her leisure.

"What do you want?" He asked back, looking for a trap. Esdese's smiles were rarely good news for him, especially with this offer. He had expected his training would consist of nothing but bone-breaking spars until he either died or dragged himself to her level.

"Nothing more than I've already asked for. Your love and your strength." Zabuza seemed to mull it over before sighing in defeat. "Excellent." She said, leaning forward, drawing herself closer to Zabuza, as he pushed himself back. He found a pillar blocking his way as Esdese's lips landed on his. This wasn't the forcefulness of their first kiss, and the cool taste she left on his lips pissed him off to no end as she pulled away. "And that, was your reward for winning."

Putting the last bandage on Zabuza's arm, Esdese stood up to check the time. She had plans for the unit today, but with one in the infirmary, she'd have to do it tomorrow. The weather was nice though, and now with an excess of time... She glanced down at Zabuza who was wiping his lips off on his arm before beginning to re-wrap his face.

"Bastard must be the pride of his unit." Zabuza mumbled, catching Esdese's attention to stare at him in confusion. "What?"

"He isn't army." It was Zabuza's turn to be confused, wondering how Tatsumi could be anything other than Imperial, the hack-and-slash sword play had a personal touch to it, but underneath it all it was bog standard Imperial swordplay. The type he'd beaten out of city guards numerous times before. "He's just a blacksmith."

And I'm just the emperor, Zabuza mused to himself. Paranoia never failed him before, and right now it was screaming that something was fishy about the goofy new recruit.

**AN: **So, I accidentally wrote Bols name as Borris last chapter. Whoops, well I fixed that, and no one seemed to notice, so yay. Too many Russians on the brain with Demons. Anyways, Zabuza's caught a scent of.. something? Next time we come back to Esdese attempting a date, and the disaster that follows with that.


	6. Steal It

The ring of steel against steel, and the smell of imperial forges assaulted as he passed craftsman at their stations. Hooded glances were sent his way by the various workers, but for the most part he was ignored. Many were familiar with the doctor by name, if not reputation. The sound of his footsteps was drowned out in the cries of iron and steel being shaped to imperial will.

Yet, Zabuza heard him above the chaos. A quiet pattern between the hammers beating a blade into existence with him watching silently.

"Young master Zabuza." The dark-haired man greeted in his polite tone.

"Doctor." Zabuza returned the greeting gruffly, eyes focuses on one of the elder smiths. Examining, and picking apart each movement.

"An odd place to find you, come to find another way to emasculate young Tatsumi? Or in search of new blades?" The doctor asked as he took a step closer to Zabuza. Even sitting atop a spare barrel, the doctor was the taller individual.

Zabuza simply grunted, his placement atop an out of the way barrel being more than a desire for new weapons. He had one of the best at his fingertips, only she was currently locked away in meetings with the other general. Budo. That was a puzzle piece he'd have to decide on eventually, but for now he was here for observational purposes, and to consider the situation with Tatsumi.

It had been a quiet week, a total of five locations raided throughout the capital and surrounding towns, with only four of them bringing in anything useful. If only they'd found some actual rebels, Zabuza thought. It'd at least free him from Esdese's constant affection for a few hours while she interrogated the unlucky morons. Training without oversight was just as productive as training where he wasn't constantly distracted by her long flowing hair and soft li-

He shut down that thought process before it went any further. There was dangerous territory behind those words.

Instead, he was left to contemplate scattered reports and weapons found in the raids. Unsurprising that the rebellion would be on high alert given the creation of the Jaegers, but it didn't sit right with Zabuza. Which brought him back to Tatsumi.

He was an unknown. A puzzle piece that didn't fit in Zabuza's mind. A problem that would have been more easily solved, if Zabuza himself could have been impartial. Instead, every shy 'Hello' and attempt from the older boy to engage in conversation simply reignited the fire of hatred brought forth by the first pitying look. It was that hatred that left Zabuza sitting on a emperor be damned barrel in a room that smelled of burnt flesh and molten steel trying to separate his irritation from the facts.

"Hardly."

"Mm." The doctor hummed in agreement. "I don't imagine it would be hard."

He glanced at the doctor through the corner of his eye. The older gentleman was playing a game, given away by the teasing look in otherwise dead eyes, and Zabuza wasn't in the mood to play along.

"If you have something to say Stylish. Say it."

"Nothing at all, I was simply the unlucky one. Chosen to find you. The Commander's meeting is to be done soon and she wished to see you." He said, hands held up in a defensive posture, but his eyes remained the same.

Just what he needed, Zabuza thought before sliding off the barrel with a nod for Stylish to lead the way.

Stylish wasn't an unknown. Zabuza was able to peg him from the moment his role was brought forth. Stylish was the man who cared for little more than to satisfy his own curiosity, his own quest for knowledge. He was a person who knew his role in society, and played it well. Unlike Tatsumi.

"I would ask what you think of our newest recruit, but you've made you're opinions quite clear." Stylish remarked as if he could read Zabuza's thoughts. He was a casual observer in the pair's interactions for the past week. Any attempt at communication was immediately shut down by Zabuza leaving the room, or snarling death threats to the other boy if he got in his way. In a way it was almost amusing. Zabuza's jailer was Esdese, yet he hated his fellow inmate more.

"So, instead you'll make a veiled question. You're a doctor not a spinster. Don't twist words for it's own sake." Zabuza shot back as they neared the end of the forges, the sound of Stylish's laughter joining the hammers.

"Of course, but can I not enjoy my time with an attractive young man? If I do so by the twisting of words, instead of bodies, wouldn't that be the preferable option?" He asked.

"Hardly." Zabuza said, ignoring the suggestive look on the older man's face.

"A man of few words, the general is a lucky women. In my experience they prove the better lovers, more willing to listen and draw out pleasant sounds than those who simply talk." Stylish said, disappointed that he couldn't draw a blush or a stutter out of the younger man, it would have been a pleasant addition to his day even if he couldn't see it under the bandages.

"You're right hand is a real chatter box then." Zabuza was unfazed. He'd already had to deal with Esdese naked, and a lot more physical contact than he was used to. The ramblings of a man beating around the bush meant little. "Now, Doctor. The point of this."

"A humble question on your thoughts about Tatsumi, beyond the obvious dislike. I've always found it best to air some thoughts to the world, and see how they appear when not confined to my own mind." The doctor fell into step beside Zabuza, taking shorter strides so as not to outpace him.

Zabuza thought it over, the Doctor's loyalties and reasons for asking along with whether he wished to even share.

"He doesn't fit." Zabuza said as they passed one of the various courtyards of the palace. With a thoughtful nod from the doctor, he continued. "He claims to be a blacksmith, yet I've never seen him work steel. He claims to be from a remote village, the adopted son of a retired soldier. He came to the capital to learn as a blacksmith and was in the tournament for some extra coin, and yet. It doesn't fit."

"How so?"

"He wouldn't leave for the capital for such a small reason. Small villages need every hand they can get to keep fed, and to lose something as vital as a blacksmith for a child's needless travel? It doesn't fit, too much risk for not enough reward. And he has slim shoulders."

"An interesting claim to make." Stylish said as he mulled over Zabuza's reasoning.

"When you spend your life swinging a hammer or hefting large amounts of steel. Top heavy with broad shoulders. Bols would pass off as a better blacksmith."

"And Tatsumi is anything but that..." Stylish mused. "Is that all you are basing your dislike on? He's rather lean for his profession?"

"Among other things.." Zabuza responded defensively, though most of his mistrust was based on instinct than concrete evidence.

"I do suppose when one smells a rat, it is best to question the cheese before indulging. You are not the only one have misgivings about young Tatsumi." The doctor agreed, though Zabuza noted the fact he didn't share any of reasons or specifics about who held them. He wasn't the only one keeping his cards to his chest it seemed. "But, I suppose time shall tell if either parties is just acting on half-truths or misplaced paranoia."

Zabuza just grunted in agreement as the pair turned down another hallway.

* * *

"... dismissed."

Esdese kept her face neutral as she sat up from her chair, walking beside Budo as they left the meeting room and the Prime Minister behind them. It was only when the door closed behind them as they entered Budo's office that she let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Care to lodge a complaint?" Budo asked as he took a seat at his desk, pouring himself a drink. He'd offer one to Esdese, but past experience showed she'd turn it down. Besides, good scotch was hard to come by, and he wasn't inclined to share his last bottle.

"Among other things down his throat..." She growled as she paced the room. Meetings were viewed as redundant by her in the first place, and ones where she had to stand up and explain why she hadn't yet removed the rebel army were the most tedious. The rebels were cowards, hiding in cracks and shadowed corners. If they wished to fight for their cause, they should have fought. Instead they choose the route of weakness, a long, drowned out campaign that would do little more than leave the empire weaker.

She had no love for the empire, unlike her older counter part, but Esdese loathed weakness above all else. It could have been glorious, a war like none other with teigu users littering the battlefield to be crushed at her whim, where she could end a long day of slaughter with Zabuza at her side by dragging him into the tent they'd share. Their blood would be up, and she rather enjoyed imagining the fun they'd get up to once her lover was both older and uncompromising. Instead they hid like the rats they were.

She had made progress of course. Her training sessions with Zabuza had changed for the better. Less cheap tricks meant to draw her attention away from his attacks, and more using her own moves against her. He was a dry sponge finally exposed to water. She found bits and pieces of her own stance mixed with Wave's naval training, all gained from simply observation.

He was growing at a pace that left her excited to the future, his hunger for power matched her lust for blood perfectly. And if the felt box on the corner of Budo's desk was any indication, she had the perfect gift to wet her lover's appetite.

Budo for his part let Esdese stew. He'd know her since she was a raw recruit of a girl, watched as she climbed up the ranks through blood and steel, and knew that she'd eventually get over Honest's blubbering until it was time for the next meeting. "On the topic of complaints.." He spoke up, letting Esdese come to a stop before he continued. "I would like to thank you for your suggestion. The inclusion of officers who gained their position through more... intimate, measures was not one I had foreseen and there has been a culling of the ranks, so to speak. With proper, certified soldiers left to fill the vacancies."

Esdese waved it away. "An observation that I simply brought to your attention. Little more."

"You exposed a crack in my army. Regardless of why or how, you have done the empire a service. For that." He pushed the small felt box a little closer to Esdese. "I have done what I hope is a service of similar weight."

"And the others?" She asked as she took the box and checked the contents. A ghost of a smile passed her lips as she closed the lid, not fading even under Budo's small shake of the head.

"Already pilfered by the time we arrived, with the thieves being some of the few to escape the blockade. Fate was not on our side for that encounter, but we still held our ground."

"Yes, yes we did." Esdese agreed. "Thank you general."

"Simply invite me to the wedding. That would be thanks enough." Budo mused as he leaned back in his chair, padded leather against aging muscles. "With my youngest gone, I no longer have any excuse to get properly drunk. Not unless I'm willing to wait for the grand-kids."

"I imagine you'll outlive them out of spite alone." She said, drawing a grimly amused snort from her fellow general before he took another drink of scotch. "Now, I believe you have reports to read, and I have a vacation to attend."

"Enjoy it while you can. One day it'll be you sitting behind this desk." Budo said as a farewell, eyes already on the first of the various sheets of paper before him.

Let us hope that day is not soon in coming, Esdese thought with a small smile as she traversed the halls of the imperial palace towards the meeting place. If Stylish was not there, she'd have to find Zabuza herself. An exciting if time wasting prospect.

* * *

Zabuza knew he was in trouble the moment he saw Esdese. Not the brand of trouble which promised broken bones or lacerations of the flesh. No, the blue-haired woman was all soft smiles and light steps with a suspicious box in her hand. Stylish had left moments ago, promising that the general would be along shortly. He was almost tempted to leave, but he had come to the realization that Esdese was best described as a force of nature in his life by this point. He could not stop her and he could not break her, yet, but he could misdirect. Make concessions that would make things easier for him in the long run.

If that meant he now woke up each morning in some position vaguely reminiscent of cuddling with the fiendish women, it's because the prospect of shared baths was a far worse offense. He let himself be drawn into her pace just enough that he didn't get dragged down further than needed. Besides, he'd never admit it but there was something enjoyable in the most primal sense about waking up in the morning to a fight, struggling against her monstrous strength to be free, knowing that one day he might be the one pinning her against the bed with ease, a reversal of roles.

So he was wary as Esdese stopped in front of him, smiling down on him like a benevolent goddess. He was just up to her chin, but the height difference still infuriated him at an irrational level. If that smile wasn't suspicious enough, her next sentence was.

"I have a gift for you." She said, holding out the small box she'd been carrying. Memories of his last gift came to mind, and he was aware of leather against his throat as he took the gift with muted hesitation.

A ring. One that he certainly enjoyed the look of, he was rather fond of dragons and it certainly looked fierce enough, but that wasn't the point. He was not stupid, he knew what a ring represented, and more importantly what followed after getting a ring.

"Well, go ahead. Try it on and see how it feels." Esdese said, watching as Zabuza's face went from bored to suspicious to oddly neutral.

It seemed his decision had already been made in her mind, Zabuza mused as he closed the lid with an echoing snap. "I refuse."

"Pardon?" He had to admit, he was expecting more anger than genuine confusion.

"I, am too young. I am not going to be a groom at fifteen." He said, vague whispers of purple aura gathering behind him at the very notion. Till now Esdese's contact with his person had been more combative or to assert dominance than sexual, even the one time in the bathroom had been glossed over as she focused on getting them both clean rather than intimately examining his person. There would be no marriage, and there most certainly would be no consummation of it.

"What does marriage have to do with anything?" As quick as his anger came it disappeared leaving him the one confused.

"You gave me a ring." He clarified.

"Yes." Esdese agreed, turning his own 'You're an idiot' tone back on him.

"Why would you give me a ring as a gift for any other reason?"

"Because, it's a teigu?" She clarified, watching the dawning realization come across Zabuza's hidden face, wondering if he was blushing under the bandages as he took a second look at the ring. They had tried all the other ones in the imperial vault for both Zabuza and Tatsumi, none of them seeming to resonate, but she had a feeling this one would work. Water and Ice, the same yet not. Zabuza's flowing form alongside her solid strength. She found the notion rather romantic when she first learned the ring had been retrieved, it'd be as if they were destined for each other. Assuming either of them believed in such a notion.

And the failure that was finding either boy a teigu initially, only solidified the notion. Tatsumi would stay on as a part of the Jaegers until they found a teigu to fit him, but for now she was more interested in Zabuza.

She watched as he took the ring from it's nesting, holding it in the palm of his hand as if to examine it before sliding it onto his right hand ring finger. She swore she saw the gem glow briefly, but that might have been a trick of the light as the metal morphed and shrunk.

There was no moment of clarity for Zabuza, no rush of power that he expected from being gifted one of the greatest weapons ever produced by humanity, but as he flexed his fingers, watching the light play off the sapphire and it's silver setting, he couldn't help but grin at the feeling. It was as if he'd long ago broken a limb, leaving it in a cast for years to let it heal, only to now have it available to him. It felt right in ways he couldn't describe other than feeling whole.

"Yes. I think this will do quite nicel-" He began, only to find himself in Esdese's chest, hearing her excitement very up close, and very personally as she spun him around in delight. He didn't complain though, she'd given him something that would prove to be rather useful in the future. Even when she let the moment get to her and finished her almost schoolgirl outburst by giving a brief tug on his bandages to expose his lips, only to cover them half a second later with her own.

Mostly because he took pride in the fact that she was the one who had to pull away first, pink-faced and breathless. He was learning to appreciate the little victories with Esdese.

"Excellent." She said, her hand clasped around Zabuza's as she set off. After a brief stutter step Zabuza kept pace, using his free hand to readjust his bandages as he was led into a part of the castle he'd yet to explore.

* * *

It was the sound of horses that tipped him off, along side the smell of shit. That was what hit him first after all, as he stood cursing his sense of smell.

"And what are we here for?" He asked once Esdese returned from talking to a servant. Even being upwind did little to help him.

"We are going on a date." She said, smile still in place. Zabuza imagined she'd be riding this high for the rest of the day, and he'd better play along on the pretend date or she'd turn the enthusiasm behind her smile into enthusiasm behind her strikes.

"You have two legs, don't you? We could walk into the city."

Hand brought up to Zabuza's cheek, she gave it an affectionate pat. "Not that kind of date. The prime minister has decided that due to my long and loyal service to the empire, I am allowed a vacation. And who better to spend it with than you."

Still didn't answer where they were going, and the look he shot Esdese carried that message along.

"A hunting trip to test out your new teigu. A week of you and I, simply enjoying each others company."

"And the various danger beasts that entails." He grumbled under his breath out of habit more than anything. Who knows, maybe he'd have fun. He'd been given the jewelry equivalent of magic, now he only needed to figure out how to work it. Things could be worst, he thought as he ignored the servants help onto his horse, at least this way he could go all out without worrying about Tatsumi watching him.

* * *

"And you are sure that's where they are heading?"

"Yes my lord." Phillip said with a bowed head. He didn't dare look the man before him in the eyes. It'd be a sign of disrespect, that they'd be considered equals, so he stared at the ground.

"Excellent, excellent." The cloaked figure said from atop his horse. "Keep up the good work and you'll one day reap the benefits of your service..."

"Thank you my lord." Phillip said as he took a step back to allow the man before him passage out of the stables. His left foot never hit stone though, to the rest of the world it was as if he had vanished into thin air within the space of a breath.

"Though, I do loath a traitor." The cloaked figured chuckled to himself. "Now, to business. A general to set aside for now, and an empire to improve. A right hero I am."

**An: **Well, not a date per say, more of a prelude to the date. Anyways, Zabuza got Black Marlin, the water teigu because while I was tempted to make a new teigu for him, I decided to stick with canon, though Black Marlin can still be improved, just like Seryu's teigu could be improved. So we'll see where that goes, anyways next chapter will be the date/slaughter that is Esdese and Zabuza carving a path of blood up a mountain side, along with whatever happens along with that. I assume most of you can guess who the cloaked figure is. If not, console yourself by adding another to the death counter. Alas poor Phillip, you had the shit luck of being born a character in this series. Canon divergence will be happening after this chapter though, so just be aware.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Comments, concerns and the like are always welcome and hope you have a good day ^.^


	7. Lose It

There was a cool mountain breeze that passed through the trees of Mount Fake, carrying it's various scents and sounds across the winds. It would have been a peaceful scene to behold, assuming one could ignore the ear splitting screams of danger beasts that haunted the night.

This was what she lived for, Esdese thought with mad satisfaction as she drew her rapier from the corpse of a large hill dragon. She was taking her time, enjoying the lingering air of hesitation that came off the armor beasts as she advanced on them. This was a pleasure trip for her, and with each slash that set forth a spray of blood, she couldn't help be draw satisfaction from it.

One day into the trip, and Zabuza had been completely agreeable, no longer struggling for dominance. Behavior she would have found suspicious if it wasn't for his new fascination with his teigu. His focus was on how to use his newest weapon.

It excited her to no ended to watch him. She was holding herself back, using nothing more than her sword and natural strength to carve her bloody way across the mountain, but with Zabuza by her side it went from a hunting trip to an outright slaughter.

She had thought Liver creative for his use of blood with Black Marlin when he lacked other sources of water. Yet here she saw Zabuza, pulling it from the ground, trees, flowers, and the very ground itself as he shaped it to his will. Any moment not spent in combat, a flurry of water and fists as Zabuza tried to figure out the limitations of his weapon against the various species that roamed the mountains, was spent with a floating blob in hand. Fingers moving in slow and deliberate ways, she watched as the liquid shifted first into rudimentary shapes, a circle or a triangle before he was making dragon fangs and snake heads with a casual flick. He had taken to his weapon with an ease matching her own.

"..Impressive..." He conceded as he joined her, having just finished his latest pack in time to watch Esdese flick the blood off her blade. She was surrounded by corpses, numbers that went higher than he could count throughout the day, all made quick work of with steel and flesh. Yet he was struggling with more than four at a time even with his new teigu. A chilling reminder of the difference between them.

"Thank you." She beamed as Zabuza took his place by her side. His immediate presence and lack of light in the sky meant it was time to turn in. A nearby inn was providing them lodgings and food. One bed at her insistence, an action that Zabuza surprisingly didn't object to. Who knows, he may finally be coming along, she thought with a self-satisfied grin.

In that one moment, she let her guard down as she dipped her head. Her blood was up, and she'd figured out the best way to uncover Zabuza's from all the bandages. All she knew was that she was excited, and couldn't resist the temptation to kiss him, wondering how his jagged, preditory teeth would one day feel against her neck. It was that one moment, for her concentration to slip, to slow her reaction to the cloaked figure. And if Zabuza noticed, he was trapped in Esdese's iron grip to do anything about the situation before there was a bright light and the clearing was empty.

"Too easy." The figure chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

* * *

There exists a fine line between annoyance and excitement. By her self, this would be a disaster. With Zabuza, it was a tropical date.

"Any chance this is an illusion?" Zabuza asked as he took a strand of sea water, using it to draw a thin line on the back of his hand. He didn't flinch when blood pooled from the open wound, but sighed in exasperation. He answered his own question. An extra benefit of his teigu, he had could stop the bleeding at will.

"The smell of the sea water, the ocean breeze, the temperature and the humidity, it's probably all real." She stated, taking in the change in scenery. Evergreens replaced with palm trees, and packed dirt turned to sand. With the sun now bearing down on them, she adjusted her cap to get the light out of her eyes.

"teigu?"

"It wouldn't be surprising, given their nature." Esdese said to Zabuza's short question. The only part that bothered her was who. Who sent them here. It was trouble regardless of who she thought responsible. With one quick motion, her palm met sand and the duo rose into the sky on a pillar of ice. "Recognize the coast line?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around Zabuza to appreciate the view with him in her grasp, resting her chin on his head.

Zabuza shook his head, the climate was similar, the heat and almost overwhelming smell of water were nostalgic, but with nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see. "You don't seem that stressed?" He asked, not understanding Esdese's nonchalant response to this turn of events. He was more annoyed than concerned, but Esdese was beaming down at him as if their vacation had taken an exciting turn.

"Why panic? We're together and alive. We can handle anything that gets thrown at us."

A rumble in the distance was the only response to that bold statement. A glance to the side, where both could see a rising mass of flesh and steel, grow to the height of Esdese's ice tower.

"And here I thought we were done hunting for the day..." Zabuza remarked, as unaffected by the colossal beast as Esdese.

"A perfect way to finish the hunt, I think." Esdese said casually, noticing Zabuza's gaze go to the nearby sea. "Would you like to take the first shot?" She asked as the danger beast charged forward.

"Ladies first." Esdese's hands stretched forth, Zabuza feeling the temperature drop as even more ice was summoned. Ice shards larger than himself hovered around them. He had to wonder where Esdese's teigu was. Her sword was steel, well-forged but simple steel, and nothing of her outfit suggested supernatural power. If anything, he would have believed it was the choker he wore, but again. That was on his person, and nothing special. He'd figure it out later.

The colossus stumbled in it's charge as ice shards pierced it's skin. Sharpened pillars of ice skewered into it's head and upper torso that sunk in deeper as it fell back. Only to pull itself back up, massive teeth showing under it's mad grin.

"Tough guy, eh?" Esdese's smirk went from teasing to full of blood lust as she slapped her palm against the pillar of ice, creating an off-shoot of ice that pierced the monster's skull, narrowly avoiding the smaller figure that seemed implanted into the colossus's skull.

Zabuza didn't say a word, now free from Esdese's grip and no longer intent on letting her have all the fun. A movement in the corner of his eye turned his attention from the newly created ice bridge to a newly emerging colossus, already on it's way towards them. Holding his hand out in the direction of the ocean, he closed all but his pointer, feeling the ring's power course through him as giant blobs of water lifted themselves out of the sea. He made a slashing motion in the direction of the uninjured colossus. The water met his demands, giant streams of dragon-shaped water shooting out to blindside the danger beast. Aquatic fangs sunk into flesh as more and more water started to surround the second colossus, until it was completely submerged in a prison of water, helplessly struggling as it was buried under ever-increasing tons of sea water.

He held the bubble in place for as long as he could, feeling the strength drain from him by the second as he watched the last remaining air bubbles escape the colossus. It took his last bit of concentration to draw the water back into the air before dropping it, and the corpse into the ocean.

Esdese caught him as he staggered. Her expressions caught between concern and excitement. Her opponent, if he was inclined to call a mindless beast an opponent was little more than a smear among piles of ice. To make things worst, she didn't even seem winded, much less tired like him.

"Too much at once, too soon will do more harm than good." She chided, waiting for the moment Zabuza pushed her support away with a snarl. It didn't come as she lowered the ice pillar till they were back to ground level. "You need to work your way up to moving a lake, not start with it."

"Piss off.." He said with a noticeable lack of venom.

"I don't think so. I rather enjoy our fights, but.." She leaned forward to whisper in Zabuza's ear. "You're cuter when you work with me."

"Weirdo." Zabuza muttered as he finally struggled to free himself from Esdese's grip, getting a small chuckle in return.

"Come. You need to rest for a bit, then we'll explore the island. We'll be back at the capital before you know it."

Hurray, Zabuza thought with little enthusiasm. He had other plans for when he returned to the capital. Instead he was stuck with Esdese for an undetermined amount of tim-... He, was stuck with Esdese. For an undetermined amount of time. Away from other people, or more importantly, people that might hold a leash on her. Kept her loyal to a certain empire, or more specifically a certain politician.

He could work with this.

**An: **Another chapter out, and from this point on. Things will start to change. Zabuza isn't Tatsumi after all. I've decided to up Zabuza's water abilities a bit, especially for his age (14-15ish, lost track after years of just surviving), but I think they'll fit decently. He had a lot of water to work with and he wanted to see what the upper limit he had was. That and he has a better affinity with Black Marlin than Liver does, so yeah.

Anyways, Zabuza isn't so much falling for Esdese as realizing that playing hard to get just makes things harder on him, and she's better to have as an ally then an enemy. Esdese's just happy that Zabuza is starting to reciprocate the attention. Bonding and manipulation to come, next time~ Comments, concerns and questions are always welcome and hope you have a good day.


	8. Divide Them

"This is nice."

"This is demeaning..." Zabuza grumbled. Did lover mean something else in Esdese's blood soaked mind? Another word for teddy bear perhaps? All she seemed to do was cuddle at times, and his part could have been fulfilled with a particularly sour faced bundle of cloth. That thought was easier to admit to than the possibility he agreed with her. A thought that was pushed to the back of his mind as he continued to stare into the fire.

"All you need to do is grow up, then we'll switch positions. Would that be less demeaning?" She teased. Without the mystery of who or why they were sent to this island hanging over their heads, Esdese would say she'd enjoyed herself so far. Exploring the island with Zabuza had been exciting and now she got to cuddle up by the fire on the beach. She'd be sure to give whoever started this mess a brief 'thank you' before she slit their throat. It'd only be fair.

Zabuza snorted. He was a hair over five feet now and held little hope he'd grow much further even with Esdese forcing three full meals a day down his throat when the opportunity presented itself. He wouldn't deny that he'd enjoy looking down on Esdese, if only to stroke his ego. But that would have to wait.

"You know.." She trailed off, chin resting on his shoulder. A day spent examining the wild flora and fauna had been spent bouncing ideas about their location had been their only conversation. "You never told me how you got to the capital." She hoped to remedy that fact, a romantic talk by the fire did wonders to intimacy, or so she'd been told.

"Walked." He got a light bite on the back of his neck for that unapologetic comment.

"You know what I meant. We've been together for a while now, and yet we know so little about each other. I want to get to know you Zabuza. And I hope you want to get to know me." She confessed.

He sighed as he slumped down in Esdese's lap, his head now resting against her chest. The last thing he needed was his throat in the immediate vicinity of her teeth. "I left the tribe around nine, got to the capital when I was ten-ish, spent then until I met you committing various crimes and atrocities against innocents to keep myself fed. Nothing exciting."

"Why'd you leave?" She asked. She'd only left the north because there was nothing left for her.

"There was a disagreement. I wanted to join a hunting party, they thought I was too young and things broke down. When it was done ten people were dead and I was kicked out. I carry demon's blood, apparently." Another snort. "Yagura was an idiot. Almost wish I was there to finish him off myself."

"My tribe was wiped out while I was away on a hunting trip when I was younger..." Esdese admitted with the same ease. A subject long put to rest in her own mind as she began to play with Zabuza's hair.

"Would explain the northern campaign." He mumbled. Stories had run rampant across the capital about the brutality shown to the barbarians to the north.

"Hmm? Hardly. They were weaker than I expected, I was bored and they were punished for it. If they were strong enough to massacre my tribe, they should have been strong enough to entertain me. That notion was proved false, and like all those before them, they paid for that weakness." That is how it works. The strong devour the weak. Nothing personal, just survival.

"So the weak have no place in your world? No right to rule over the strong?" Zabuza mused. He wasn't a religious man, but he was willing to sell his body and soul to whatever deity would allow him to say his piece before he joined them in whatever shit-hole that was the afterlife.

"Of course not." Esdese agreed without hesitation, with only a trace of confusion in her voice. She was under the impression Zabuza held the same beliefs. Beliefs that he seemed willing to throw back in her face.

"Then why are you the prime minister's bitch?"

* * *

At least if he died here, it would be with the warm sands of home at his back and a starry sky above him as he stared up at Esdese. There were worst ways he could go, even if personal preference would be not dying until he was at least in his triple digits. With both wrists pinned above his head that seemed a possibility that shrunk by the second. Going strength against strength with Esdese would be suicidal, so he didn't struggle.

"Care to repeat that?" He'd hit a nerve. Good.

"The prime minister is a fat layabout, more content to stuff his fucking face than do anything useful. You could feed a squad of soldiers for a week with the amount he eats in a day." He could feel the grip on his wrists tightening as Esdese seemed to process his words.

"Firstly, I don't see what this has to do with me. Secondly, you are walking a very thin line. You are aware I don't tolerate treason Zabuza. And the only reason I am not stripping the flesh from your bones as speak is because I know two things for certain about you. You are not stupid, and by extension you are not a revolutionary." She said with narrowed gaze.

"You didn't deny my claim."

"I don't need to. The prime minister does his job, and I do mine. Simple as that."

"Does he? He sits with his lard ass in a chair all day, whispering words into a boy-emperor who can't even tie his own shoes without permission. What has he achieved?"

"Control of the empire." Esdese bit out.

Zabuza's eyes gave away what he thought of that statement. "Doing a great job then. Rebels in every corner, most of the officers in the army are either a prostitute or fucking one into power. You never did get around to telling me how many had been arrested or kicked out."

"Because it was irrelevant." Zabuza was practically purring under her, bandages around his neck and sharpened fangs that gleamed in the night. Her throat seemed to tingle at the sight, but she kept her grip firm.

"How convenient. Must have been a lot then. A particularly embarrassing amount if you and Budo have to keep it hush hush. After all, let's be honest here. The only reason the rebels haven't stuffed an apple down Honest's throat and served him up for Sunday dinner is the pair of you. Your reputations alone are what keep the wolves at bay."

"What do you want, Zabuza? Cause if this is nothing more than complaints against Honest, and insults to myself, I don't see why I should continue this conversation. I could always find another lover." She grinned down at him, matching fangs for blood-lust. "Perhaps Tatsumi would be interested."

He took it in a surprising amount of stride, not even flinching under her. She had expected more. She couldn't explain Zabuza's animosity to the young man, but she knew it was there, and even if he didn't show it, he knew the comment would sting.

"If you want to fuck a spineless rat, than sure. I just assumed you had better taste than a real rebel." He ground out in as level a voice as he could manage.

"Passing the buck doesn't suit you Zabuza, where is the young man who stood defiant as I broke his body into pieces?" She teased with renewed malice in her voice.

"Still laughing at the face you made before he almost tore out your throat. It must kill you inside to have to thank Run. Without his timely intervention, you'd be another dead weaklin-" He was cut off as Esdese's fist impacted the sand a hair's width away from his head, sending shudders along the beach.

"Finish that sentence, see what happens." An eye for an eye, yet Esdese couldn't help but feel she'd lost some sort of battle by physically reacting. A feeling that was compounded by Zabuza's grin. The cat that ate the canary didn't even come close as he continued. Poisoned words that cut into her.

"And there it is. The little string that made you Honest's puppet. You are far stronger than me Esdese, maybe far stronger than I'll ever be, but you have one weakness. You need to prove your strength. You need to see how weak everyone else is. You _need_ the screams, _need_ the blood, the torture, the sounds of battle to remind yourself that you are strong enough to protect yourself. That your pride, the one thing you have left that is truly yours can remain untouched.

And Honest? Honest gave you a path to walk, the easy route to obtaining that invincibility. Gave you a sword when you needed it, gave you troops when you wanted it, gave you access to weapons that turned you from the greatest warrior in the empire, into a monster of the battlefield. And he gave you blood, probably to hook you into the deal. How many times has he told you to kill someone? How many massacre's have been started at his orders, for his own reasons? How many were avoided because he didn't see a point in them? How much blood has he denied you after that initial taste? You could have wiped the revolutionaries off the map months ago if you didn't have to pussy foot around him, kissing asses and obeying the instructions of old shit lords who couldn't tell the end of a blade from it's pommel. At what point did you go from a wolf, to a trained dog, feeding on scraps from your master's table. When did you get so weak?"

"He is in charge, that is how it works." She protested feebly, her grip slackening, and breathing seeming to grow shallow before she asked the all important question. "Why? What do you even want? Honest doesn't give a damn about you, why should you give a damn about him?"

With a flick of his wrist, his hands were free and the positions were reversed, Zabuza straddling Esdese. He took a gamble, not going to pin her hands, instead placing his hands by her head to hold himself up. Earthy brown eyes met cool blue. She could still kill him in a heart beat, but held herself back because he hadn't made an overt move on her life. Now he hoped his luck would hold. "I want to wake up in the mornings, and go to sleep every night knowing I will have a meal waiting for me. I want to choose not to wear a shirt, instead of dressing myself in rags. I want steel blades that don't shatter after three uses. I want whetstones to sharpen those new blades. I want a bath every morning, where I can soak in the warm water for as long as I wish, whenever I wish. I want to fight, whenever it pleases me. I want to kill, whenever it suits me. I want the idiots who call themselves revolutionaries to get off their high horses and die before this fucking empire gets caught up in a three-way war with it's pants down. I want power. I want glory. I want you to stand by my side. I want you to fight by my side. I want you to rule by my side. I want to drown this empire in blood if that is what is needed. I only hope you would be willing to stand by my side and do it."

Words failed her at this point, Esdese opening her mouth only to close it a second later as she searched Zabuza's eyes. They were cold, sharp with a depth of endless greed and ambition that seemed to draw her in, but try as she might she couldn't find any hints of falsehood. "Why me?" She asked after a minute of silence, the only sound the gentle crashing of the waves in the distance.

"Because who else? You deserve far more than second best. You deserve far more than to be treated as a one-note general whose greatest achievement being the slaughter of rats and cowards to scared to fight a real war. Together, we could cut a path through the continent. The Alchemists to the west? The isle nations to the south, the untamed tundra to the north or the mysteries of the far east? The blood that we could spill with each conquest, the fun we could have, together? I will only say this once. I have started to give the slightest damn about you, and unfortunately can't think of anyone else I'd enjoy sharing this opportunity with." Zabuza said only to find arms around his neck that pulled him close.

When he was finally free to pull back, he was still held close, the taste of sea water and sweat on his tongue as he caught his breath. A small smile played across Esdese's lips. Earlier resistances seemed to have melted away with his confession. The power and intoxicating effect of love, he thought with a mental chuckle.

"And, hypothetically speaking, I wanted a bit of a payment upfront. A display of loyalty, that you were serious in your 'one time confession'."

"Depends." He was willing to promise as much as he could, so long as she joined the right side.

"Tell me you love me." Her final test. She had to hear him say it, to see if she would get that telltale shiver down her spine that would prove to her, and her alone that this wasn't just her being weak. Instead, this would her finally finding an equal. Young, and untrained, but an equal none the less.

There was only the briefest hesitations, one she wouldn't hold against him as he pulled away to again meet her eyes. He said the all important three words she wanted to here, and then proved it at her eager prompting. Later that night, Zabuza watched the last embers of their beach fire flicker out. With Esdese's head resting on his bare chest, he couldn't decide what was scarier. What Esdese would do to him if she found out he was lying, or if he had actually spoken with more than a grain of truth in those three insignificant words.

Problem for the morning, he decided with finally as he pulled Esdese closer. Bare skin touching bare skin as they both rested on the beach. He was exhausted and he'd figure it out later.

**An: **Well, to be fair. I don't think anything here was too explicit to change the rating, which is good, hopefully. Anyways, when I first read Tatsumi's little speech imploring Esdese to switch sides, I thought it was a good idea, even if Tatsumi is an idiot. Esdese wouldn't switch sides because 'it's the right thing to do' or just because she's in love. Blood and violence come first to her, and a boyfriend/significant other are second. I hope I made this argument in-character enough to convince her, because I honestly do believe she could have been swayed away from Honest if given the right motivation. IE, more blood and guts. Something Tatsumi would never in a million years promise her, but Zabuza? Zabuza is perfectly willing to kill off people, so long as it gets the job. Not indiscriminate murder, or killing for shits and giggles like Wild Hunt, but deaths that would serve an actual purpose. My only concern is I didn't make Zabuza's speech to cheesy. Zabuza has two modes in my mind. The times where you are lucky to get five syllables out of him in a day, or the times where you can't get him to shut the fuck up. This was one of the latter times.

Regardless, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next time we'll have our dynamic due back in the capital, where some shit is going down. Murder, and death abound! As always, comments, concerns and questions are welcome! See you all later, and hope you had a good day!


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